The Premier League is reportedly growing concerned about rising legal costs as it seeks a verdict in Man City’s FFP case.
The Citizens had a poor season last season under manager Pep Guardiola, despite winning the Premier League title in each of the previous four seasons.
Guardiola’s side, currently fifth in the Premier League after seven games, are under the shadow of the FFP lawsuit, with a verdict expected in the months ahead.
Hearings by the independent committee investigating the 115 complaints brought against Man City by the Premier League began in September and concluded in December.
The Premier League launched an investigation into Man City in 2018 and, after several legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023, with the club being referred to an independent commission.
The charges against Citizen relate to the club’s obligation to accurately report financial information, including the amount of sponsorship deals, details of manager and player salary information, and the club’s responsibility as a member of the Premier League to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations and the league’s own Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).
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They are also accused of not cooperating with the league’s investigation. In total, there are fees associated with each season between 2009-2010 and 2022-23.
Man City manager Guardiola said in February that he expected a “verdict and judgment” within a month (March), but this did not materialize as the dates remained secret.
Guardiola said: “I think within a month there will be a verdict and a verdict. After that you will know my opinion about what has happened so far. Still, in the end every club can do whatever they want.”
“Because for the last 10 years we’ve been third (in terms of net spending), but for the last five years, even taking into account what we’ve won, we’re nowhere near the top six teams. I’m sorry about that comment and that’s why I disagree.”
“In the last five years we are the last team to finish in the top six. Despite what we have spent in this transfer window, we are away from Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
“And also from Liverpool. The only reason I have known this club is because we sold a lot in the last season, but I have always known this club because of the money.”
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However, Football Insider revealed that the Premier League were “concerned about rising legal costs as they seek a verdict” and that Man City could hold a hearing “within the next few days”.
And former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Bolson believes a verdict will be handed down during this international break ‘or next time’.
Bolson told Football Insider: “Everyone is expecting now to be the most likely time, especially if it could be during the international break, I think it’s a combination of the realities of it coming during this or the next international break.”
“But on top of that, just the fact that the commission has 10 months to come up with a decision. It might be prone to something like the court system, but this is a disciplinary rather than an arbitration, but you would think that because it’s a privately paid commission, it should be able to do it within this period.”
Speaking earlier this week, Bolson once again hinted that Man City could learn the verdict soon, saying: “I think 10 months is enough for now and whatever decision is taken, there is little justification for extending it any further.”
“I think that’s why people are expecting it. It doesn’t mean anything about what direction it went in, it’s just because of the passage of time.
“I’ve always said that I think the longer this situation goes on, the worse it’s going to be as a concept for City. But it’s very difficult to know if this is too late or if that’s even close to being true because we don’t know any of the details.”
Bolson added:
“It wouldn’t be a huge shock to me if I got a release email this week. Sure, maybe not, but it wouldn’t be a surprise.
“Of course we’ll see how long it takes for it to spread to the outside world.”
